Chili

February 19, 2010

Okay. You guys are going to positively love this... and this is coming

from your token non-vegetarian member. I went to my local library tonight,

which is an amazing library with all sorts of insane programs.

Don't get me started. One of the few advantages of where I live is my

insane library that is the local hot spot. No, I'm not kidding. It has cool

programs from everything for babies, toddlers, school kids, teens, and

adults.

Well, tonight it had something for my older son (8), but my 5 1/2 year old

was left out. So I needed to entertain him for the hour and a half when my

older son's program was going on. I was allowed to bring him to an adult

program (as long as I was with him), which was a chili contest.

Okay... okay... here's the part you're going to love...

There were eight entries into the contest. The winner? The ONLY

vegetarian chili! Yup, that's right. When offered to both chef judges and

ordinary omnivorous civilians, the hands down winner was the vegetarian

offering.

Now, tell me you're not enjoying this?

Okay... here's the deal. I'm going to type in the recipe for the winning

chili, the vegetarian chili. Then I'm going to type in MY recipe for

vegetarian chili. Now, in all fairness, the winning chili was considered

medium

hot, whereas my version is distinctly mild. Hey, I'm trying to get my

family to eat vegetables. They don't do hot. One thing at a time, okay?

Please put aside the hotness factor and tell me which version you'd rather

eat. I won't be insulted. I'm just curious. Here goes...

The Winning Chili...

Rick's Veggie Chili

Ingredient:

1-5 habenero peppers

1 red onion

1/2 Spanish onion

3 cloves of garlic

4 tablespoons of virgin olive oil

6 oz. tomato paste

28 oz. tomato sauce

2 15 ox. cans of diced tomatoes

1 can black beans

1 can red kidney beans

1 can pink beans

4 tablespoons of black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons of chili powder to taste

2 tablespoons of cumin

4 tablespoons of sugar

4 carrots, grated

2 stalks of celery

1 granny smith apple

juice of one line (optional)

Monterey Jack cheese (optional)

Preparation:

Peel the carrots, then grate the carrots, celery, and granny smith apple

in large pieces. (Don't ask... I'm copying the recipe verbatim. I know it

doesn't make sense.)

Dice the onions into medium size pieces. Slice the garlic into thin

slices. Remove the seeds from the habenero pepper, slicing them into small

pieces.

Cooking Instructions:

Brown the onions and garlic in the olive oil for 7-10 minutes. Do not

over cook. Onions should be translucent. Add the grated carrots and celery

-cook five more minutes. Add spices, beans, tomato sauce, and paste. Stir,

and when past is dissolved, add the sugar. Add the chopped peppers to

taste -- to determine how spicy you want the chili. Simmer for twenty minutes.

If it's too hot (spicy) after adding the peppers, add the granny smith

apples (to taste) to reduce the degree of spice from the peppers.

Quarter the lime. Grate the Monterey Jack cheese. Apply the lime to

taste. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

That was the winning recipe. Okay... Here is my vegetarian chili. It's

very mild. If mild isn't your thing, add ghost chilies or habenero peppers

to your heart's content. Oh, my version is huge. So many people love it

that, when I make it, I cook for a crowd and give it away. Halve or quarter

this recipe for an ordinary family.

Jan's Vegetarian Chili with Avocado Salsa

Jan'sVegetarian Chili

Ingredients:

8 medium Portobello mushroom caps, cubed

6 medium Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, cubed

2 boxes firm tofu, cubed

2 teaspoons olive oil

1-2 medium Vidalia onion, chopped

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

2 Tablespoons sliced green onions

1 cup diced red bell pepper

2 (15 oz.) cans dark red kidney beans, drained

1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained

1 (15 oz.) can pinto, lima, or other beans, or black-eyed peas, drained

2 (15 oz.) can kernel corn, drained

1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup tequila

1 (8 oz.) can tomato puree

1 (5 oz.) can chopped green chilies

2 Tablespoons minced jalapeno pepper

1 dried red chili pepper

1 Tablespoon chili powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon Liquid Smoke

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 bar seriously bitter chocolate (eg. Ghiraldi's 86% cocoa or Lindt bitter

chocolate with chili -- optional)

Garnishes:

6 Tablespoons sour cream

6 lime wedges

baked tortilla chips

avocado salsa (recipe to follow)

Directions:

Par boil potatoes. Saute mushrooms, pepper, and onion in oil. Simmer all

ingredients in a large pot, crock pot, or Dutch oven. Cook for at least

two hours (the longer, the better), stirring occasionally. Serve with sour

cream, lime wedges, chips, and avocado salsa.

Recipe Note:

The longer you cook, the spicier the chili will become. That's not

necessarily a bad thing, but you should be aware of it before embarking on this

recipe. You can minimize this effect, should you wish to, by adding the

spices one to two hours before you plan on serving, or by cutting down on the

pepper and chilies.

Avocado Salsa

Ingredients:

1/2 cup finely chopped and peeled avocado

1/3 cup chopped and seeded tomato

2 Tablespoons finely chopped Vidalia onion

1 Tablespoon finely chopped and seeded jalapeno pepper

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Combine all ingredients; toss mixture gently. Serve salsa immediately.

So, friends... what do you think? Should I have entered?

In Vino Veritas,

*´¨) Janis Abbe

.. ·´ ¸.·*¨) ¸.·*¨) ¸.·*¨ )

(¸.·´ (¸.*´ ¸.·´ `·-* *

Oenaphile, Logophile, Ailurophile, Bibliophile

" Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre

minds. " ~Albert Einstein

" A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest. " ~Paul Simon

" I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints; the sinners

are much more fun. " ~ Billy Joel

February 19, 2010

Opps. I said red bell pepper twice. The first time ought to have been

red. The subsequent pepper ought to have been green, yellow, or orange.